Page 111 of Beast and Remedy
I slump, my breath leaving me as the dam of questions breaks, and I’m on the verge of collapse.
Have healers not discovered anything since we’ve been gone?
Did something happen in Torgem?
Is Palaena still safe for my people? Was there news of Papa? Does he know we aren’t home? Are Jean and Pierre alright?
Christine nudges Marcel with a ghost of a smile. “Darling, you can’t say that and expect us to read your mind. Use your words.”
Marcel rubs his arm, exchanging a hint of annoyance with his partner, smirking when she winks.
He exhales. “From my father, King Jerrick, and Pierre’s reports, animal attacks have doubled in all their borders. They are controlling it as best they can. But…”
My heart stutters, and a booming roar echoes in my mind as Marcel continues, “Downstairs, I overheard a merchant tell the innkeeper about how Queen Verena is pushing more work on her healers because of the growing numbers of people dying so rapidly. She’s trying to keep everything contained, so much so she is refusing many traders travel along her trade routes.”
He glances at Beau. “Which means going near Unterkirch isn’t safe.”
Silence stretches between us, and the worry plaguing everyone’s features suffocates me.
The hallway is too small—too narrow. The lanterns reflect more light than I’d care for. The wooden walls are too dark.
Too cold.
I peer down at my hands, still a slight pink from the warm bath I took earlier. But when I blink, the color changes, deepening to a thick red. Red like my hair. Red like—
Blood.
So. Much. Blood.
My breathing turns ragged, the quiet void of my friends at a loss and the turmoil of my heart sending panic up my throat. “But we—wehaveto get the lavender from Unterkirch.”
The tremor in my voice draws their eyes to me, and I clutch my chest, doing my best to keep calm.
Keep steady.
Keep breathing.
“We need plants fromeachkingdom,” I say, my gaze darting between each of my friends.
But Marcel, Jules, Leo, and Christine’s grave expressions match the chaotic despair encompassing me.
My pulse quickens, and panic seeps in, goose bumps covering my body. I lower my chin, concealing my trembling lip as lifeless faces flash in my mind.
Annie.
Riker.
Marius.
Alec.
Bronn.
So. Much. Death.
So. Much. Blood.
This unrest and foreboding will devour my mind, taint my soul, and ravish my heart.
